The Guardian
by Jenna D
Summary: *Attention Readers* This is Sad. This is a STSF -- Sad Taiora SongFic. The song is by Sky.


I felt like writing a sappy songfic the other day, so I did. The song is "The Guardian" by Sky, from their latest CD, "Travelling Infinity."   
  
D/C: I don't own Tai, Sora, Matt, Izzy, Kari, T.K., Joe, Mimi or anyone else from Digimon... and I don't own Sky either.   
  
  
The Guardian  
  
"Hey, Tai!"  
  
"Yeah Sora?" Tai said, turning around and smiling at Sora. His usually tanned face was pale and there were dark circles around his eyes.  
  
"Are you going to the dance on Friday?" she asked, taking a mental note of Tai's appearance.  
  
"Yeah, I think so," he said.   
  
"Well... you wanna go with me?" Sora inquired, a hopeful tone in her voice.  
  
Tai smiled again, a little weaker than before. "I would love that Sora," he answered quietly.  
  
"Great..." she said. "Um, Tai? Have you been feeling okay? You look kinda pale."  
  
"Just a touch of something," Tai said through his smile. "I'll be okay."  
  
~How could I've been such a fool? You know why?  
I fell for a man   
With a one-way ticket to the moon~  
  
Tai and Sora went to the dance, and had a great time.   
  
"Sora?" Tai said while they were dancing.   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I really like this," he said, "being with you and stuff, it's just..."  
  
"Just what, Tai?" Sora asked, looking up at Tai's face. He looked worse than he had last week -- cheeks hollow, skin pale, a tired expression on his face. It worried her immensely.  
  
"Just... you can't fall in love with me," he said bluntly. "I can't let anyone fall in love with me."  
  
Sora was puzzled. "But... Tai... I... why?" she asked. "I suppose I have to admit, it's a little late to be telling me that."  
  
Tai looked down at her with sorrow. "Because I'm dying."  
  
~Now that you're no longer here  
I ask myself  
If I were love then where would I be?~  
  
Sora remembered his words exactly as she bent over Tai's grave on the cold winter day. It was five years ago they'd had that dance, four years ago that her love had succombed to the illness that he'd been fighting for so long. It was hard for Sora to believe that Tai had managed to hide his illness from everyone for so long, especially her and the other DigiDestined, besides Kari of course. Sora knew there had to be another reason for Tai missing trips to the Digital World, becasue Tai's excuses were getting lamer and lamer...  
  
A teardrop fell from Sora's eye onto Tai's gravestone. She was love... Tai had told her so... where would she be? "I'm at Tai's grave," she told herself.   
  
No, something in the back of her mind said. Spiritually, where are you?  
  
Sora frowned. "I'm... I'm with him. My spirit is with Tai... and his with me."  
  
~Too young to be cynical  
Life's an eternal highway   
I'll see ya one day~  
  
"How can I believe that?" she muttered to herself.  
  
You've gotta believe, the voice said again. You need something to hold onto now. You'll see him soon.  
  
Sora rested her fingers on the carved name in the granite. Taichi Kamiya... she loved him... she still did. A smile crossed her face as she chewed over the thought that the little voice had given her. "Yeah... I'll see you soon Tai... And we'll be together again."  
  
~If my thoughts cannot reach you  
There's a place where you can find me  
If my words can't soothe you  
I believe you will be forever guarding me~  
  
"For now though," she continued, "you know where you can find me. I'm thinking of you as mu guardian angel now Tai. Remember, I love you..."  
  
~Oh don't be too cruel on yourself  
'Cause life has a funny way   
Of putting us to the test~  
  
Believe me now? the voice asked. Sora nodded to herself. Good. I like being a guardian angel.  
  
"What? Tai?" Sora was shocked. She'd noticed that what she'd brushed off as her conscience was really Tai's spirit talking to he.  
  
Yup. That would be me. This is your test Sora. Take it easy.  
  
"Test?"  
  
You're not being graded, don't worry. Sora laughed at Tai's humour. It made her feel better. I love you too Sora. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that more often. Don't be so hard on yourself. I want you to try and do things as normally as possible. That's how I want it.  
  
~You know the saying  
What will be will be   
I'm quite confident   
On the results I see~  
  
Her face now soaked with tears at the joy of being able to hear Tai's voice again, Sora could barely choke out a reply. "I... I'll try, Tai," she whispered.  
  
That's what I like to hear, Tai's spirit said. What will happen, will happen, and I like what I see so far. You're strong Sora. Keep up your good work... His voice started to fade.  
  
~Distance is the only thing  
Between you and me  
I must believe~  
  
Sora sank back onto the snow and held her face in her hands. "Don't go Tai. Please don't go, I need you, please," she sobbed.   
  
I don't really have a choice, Sora. Just... just remember that I'm only far away... I'll see you again, Tai told her.  
  
"Just a distance," Sora told herself. "That's all that's between us..."  
  
That's it. That's my girl... Sora felt that if he was there, Tai would have smiled. Just distance.  
  
~If my thoughts cannot reach you  
There's a place where you can find me  
If my words can't soothe you  
I believe you will be forever guarding me~  
  
Sora closed her eyes. "Tai... I love you..."   
  
I love you too Sora, Tai's spirit said. I gotta go soon... just remember, if you ever want to talk, just come back here, okay?  
  
Sora nodded. "You can find me here," she whispered. "And I'll always believe you're my guardian angel."  
  
~If my thoughts cannot reach you  
There's a place where you can find me  
If my words can't soothe you  
I believe you will be forever guarding me~  
  
Good-bye Sora... I'll see you soon.  
  
"Good bye Tai..." Sora murmured as she felt something lift away from her; felt it fly up into the sky...  
  
Sora slowly stood and walked home. That night she dreamt about Tai.  
  
~He came into my world like a dream  
And left wishing stars  
At the edge of my sleep~  
  
Soon after Tai and his family had revealed to the others how sick Tai really was, he'd gone into the hospital. He had severe pancreatitis, and that night he'd had to have emergency surgery. Sora, Matt, Izzy and T.K. went to be with his family. Unfortunately, Mimi was still in America, Joe was also abroad, and the other Destined were simply unable to come. Tai came out of the OR around eleven, and Sora bartered with her mother to stay, but ended up going home at one in the morning.  
  
As Sora slumbered fitfully that night, she had a dream with Tai in it which ended at five A.M. In it, he was peaceful, content, as he was before he became sick. Something didn't feel right about it, but Sora was to sleepy to notice.  
  
~How was I supposed to know  
By the time I awoke  
He was already gone~  
  
Sora was awakened by the telephone the next morning. "Hello?"   
  
"Sora?" It was a very upset-sounding Izzy.  
  
"Izzy? What happened?"  
  
"Tai... I'm sorry Sora... I was trying to call you all morning but nobody answered..." he said, his voice breaking every now and then. Soon Matt took the phone.  
  
"Matt? Matt, what happened to Tai? Is he okay?" Sora asked frantically.  
  
Matt sniffed, and slowly said, "Tai... he didn't make it... He died early this morning... I'm sorry I had to tell you."  
  
Sora was dumbfounded. How could she not have been there when he left? Tears began streaming down her face. "I'll be there in a few minutes," she said quietly, hanging up the phone.  
  
~If my thoughts cannot reach you  
There's a place where you can find me  
If my words can't soothe you  
I believe you will be forever guarding me~  
  
Sora arrived at the hospital, and greeted Tai's sobbing friends and family with tears of her own. She accepted hugs from them before she dared enter Tai's hospital room. It seemed that Matt held her a little tighter, a little longer than Izzy or T.K. had, but Sora didn't think much of it. After all, he was the one who had to tell her about Tai...  
  
Slowly pushing the door to the room open, Sora noticed a chart attached to the side of Tai's bed. The form had vital stats, time of surgery... time of death.  
  
5:00 AM  
  
Sora took Tai's cold hand in her own and stared at his eternally slumbering face. "Why didn't I think anything of that dream?" she whispered. "I could have been here... I didn't get to say good-bye. I'm sorry I didn't say good-bye, Tai. I love you."  
  
And with that, Sora left Tai's room unaware of the little orange spark of light that had entered her mind.  
  
~If my thoughts cannot reach you  
There's a place where you can find me  
If my words can't soothe you  
I believe you will be forever guarding me~  
  
At the funeral, Sora stood with Kari and her parents on one side of her, Matt, Izzy and the other Destined on the other. Mimi and Joe had dropped whatever they were doing the second they heard the news, and hopped on a plane back. Members of Tai's past soccer teams were there, as were some old teachers, including Mr. Fujiyama.   
  
The funeral was very sad for Sora, as she stared at the long coffin in front of her. She hadn't remembered Tai being that tall, and realizing that she'd almost forgotten scared her into dabbling into her memories with Tai for the next few weeks.   
  
All the while, the orange glow of courage stayed with her.  
  
~Oh yeah you'll be  
Forever  
Forever guarding me~  
  
Now that orange light served as a special night-light for Sora, as she felt it watching over her. It was Tai's spirit... his life... his love...  
  
Her guardian. 


End file.
